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I am 3 weeks out and lost 20 lbs the first 2 weeks then nothing this last week. But, I am walking 2 miles at least 3 times a week, and doing arm and leg exercises with weights- still protecting the abs so no ab work yet. I can feel my muscles getting stronger and I know that muscle weighs more than fat. I fear flab. I needed to lose around 55 lbs total, so 20 down is a good start. I am trying to remind myself that I have tried to lose weight for 25 years. I can't get discouraged just because it isn't falling off quickly enough.

You have gotten a lot of good advice! I understand your concerns and know how kids opinions can throw off our better judgement. But I agree with everyone that it makes much more sense to do one permanent procedure rather than the band which requires expensive upkeep and could result in additional surgery. I was sleeved on July 5th and feel great and have lost 22 lbs in the last 3 weeks. I told several people beforehand and everyone had an opinion. One person suggested that I just work on the problem behavior because I should be able to do it on my own with discipline. My reply was "See, that was Plan A.......I tried that...for 25 years. Then I went with Plan B! Plan B worked much better!" And don't get me wrong, the sleeve requires a lot of discipline also, heck, you have to change a lot and give up a lot. It is not a quick fix or an easy way out. You will still work for it, but you will just see results much faster which will increase your motivation instead of knocking yourself out for weeks and losing ounces.

I was so afraid of the removal process also, but everyone is right, it wasn't painful at all, just weird. It reminded me of pulling one of those bendy straws out of the travel mugs for some reason... anyway, sort of like someone tickling your ribs from the underside of them. Anyway, not at all painful.

San Antonio

I had mine done at BAMC Ft. Sam Houston, TX- in San Antonio. They have a new bariatric clinic there- recently moved from the Air Force hospital -Wilford Hall. Tricare covers all of it if you have a BMI of 35 or more. (For the Lap Band, I believe it is a BMI of 30. ) You will get a bill afterwards for around 35 dollars for the meals.....if you can call them that.

I was sleeved on the 5th, I had the chest pain and could not take deep breaths and my pulse ox was so low they kept running in to remind me to breathe! I had to practice taking long,slow ,deep breaths. About 10 an hour. The doc said that slowly expanding the lungs will push the bubbles out of the chest and abdomen and it did help. Hang in there! If you are really lightheaded, maybe the pain meds are not liking you much. Tell the doc. It will be better soon. Also, I was told to drink one oz of protein every 15 or 20 mins. I couldn't take the sweet protein shakes so I used chicken broth and stirred unflavored protein into it.

Hi, I feel for you! I was military also and I know how those moves can be. However, I would NOT cancel the surgery because of the move. You will be feeling so much better after a week or so and by mid Aug you should be fine and on mushies. I know it is a pain to move, but the movers and packers do most of the hard stuff right? I was sleeved on July 5th and cancelled a trip on the 14th that, now I know I could have made just fine. Just go for it! I think you will be glad you did.....well, after the first few days post-op you will be glad you did. Those first few days you will be cursing me and yourself for doing it, but after that, you will be glad!

I had bad breath for awhile, then noticed that my tongue had a thick coat of yuckness on it. After brushing it away, the bad breath was gone.

I see you have gotten a lot of good advice! I think most of us went through our periods of regret, however, from what I can tell, no one regrets it for too long once the worst is over, and for you it is probably going to end soon. I wish I had stayed in the hospital an extra day or two because at home, I was afraid every little sensation meant something was wrong. I think you are smart to stay longer. When you get home, you will start to feel better every day. You may be bloated, water-logged, and move like a slug, but just hang in there and keep walking. Taking slow deep breaths help to push the gas out and if you can drink an ounce every 15 mins or so you can stay hydrated. I found that I couldn't stand the taste of anything sweet, but I could tolerate the juice from pinto beans, chicken broth etc. Also, for me, egg drop soup from a neighborhood restaurant saved me. I strained it for the first week but could tolerate the soft egg bits the next week, (but no onions). The same for Miso soup. The tofu was soft and comforting, but I strained out the onions and seaweed. They sell it in packages at grocery stores. So good luck and hang in there sleeve sista!

I was worried about not losing quickly enough, but I started working out and walking and now it is coming off. I know that I am building muscle which will burn calories more rapidly, but it weighs more than fat. I decided that I would rather lose more slowly, and tone at the same time rather than lose really fast and have lots of loose skin to deal with. Besides, it keeps people from gawking and asking how I'm doing it so fast and if I had surgery. My friend has to deal with that every day!

I had to bring mine to the hospital with me, and if I fell asleep without it they would wake me to put it on, so I think if you need it, use it!

I was told I could have anything that would fit through a strainer, egg drop soup is great and only the green onions would need to be removed.

I was given milk in the hospital the day of my surgery! Milk and lemonade.......yeah, that's what I want to put on my raw stomach-staple line....lemonade!